The Imo State Police Command in collaboration with a civil society organisation, the Stand For Humanity Foundation has taken its campaign against drug abuse, cultism and other social vices to the streets of Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The campaigners, having assembled at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, braved the rainfall to march through major parts of the city. The awareness campaign included chanting of songs, distribution of handbills to sensitize residents on the dangers associated with social ills.
The advocacy was organised under the auspices of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), as part of efforts to strengthen public awareness and community participation in the fight against antisocial behaviour.
Speaking, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Audu Garba Bosso, represented by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye said the awareness exercise formed part of the command’s non-kinetic approach to combating the immorality and criminality against humanity.
He noted that the campaign was in line with the command’s community policing strategy aimed at making Imo State safer and more secure, while commending the Stand For Humanity Foundation for partnering with the police and supporting efforts to rid the state of crime and other unethical behaviour.
The officer in charge of the command’s Anti-Narcotics Unit, Chief Superintendent of Police Ifeanyi Ikokwu, revealed that drug abuse was on the increase in the state and assured that the command remained committed to working with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations and community groups, to tackle the growing menace.
Similarly, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Shell Camp Police Headquarters, Owerri, CSP. Juliana Obidinanwa, in her lecture, expressed concern over the increasing abuse of drugs among teenagers . She urged parents to pay closer attention to their children, noting that the indulgence had extended to secondary school students.
Earlier , the founder of Stand For Humanity Foundation and child rights advocate, Mr. Chidiebube Okeoma, said the partnership with the police was aimed at tackling the growing menace of drug abuse and its impact on children and society.
Mr. Okeoma said an investigation conducted by the organisation revealed that drug abuse was a major factor contributing to child molestation, adding that sustained efforts to combat it in the state would be difficult without simultaneously addressing the problem of drug abuse.
Also speaking was the Special Adviser to the Imo State Governor on Youth Affairs, Mr. Eric Uwakwe, who said that the state government supported programmes addressed at keeping young people away from crime and other social vices.
Mr. Uwakwe further reaffirmed that his office would continue to collaborate with Stand For Humanity Foundation, the police and other relevant stakeholders in promoting peace, security and responsible youth development across the state.
CHIOMA AKUSHIE.
HOC FIC, OWERRI
14/09/2026
